Epic of Evangelion
by OngSengKeong
Summary: 15 years after the ecological catastrophe known as Third Impact, said to be Shinji Ikari’s doing, he is now dragged back across a barren red wasteland by Aska Shikinami. Emotionally and mentally broken, he is imprisoned aboard the IAV Miracle to await trial for his supposed crimes. That is until a shocking reveal by “Rei Q” changes everthing.
1. DessertoftheReal

Three lone figures walked through the crimson red desert, a land that possibly used to be lush with vegetation and filled with human civilization, but now little more then a wasteland brought to ruin by a decade-and-a-half of world war. The only thing that really stood were derelict old telephone poles with downed wires that stood lopsided out of the ground. The sky was blue as clouds sparsely appeared. The temperature was temperature, odd for what the surrounding environment was.

Aska Shikinami was pulling an unresponsive Shinji Ikari along by the hand. Ever since he was forcibly removed from his ejected cockpit of the Synthetic Mechanized Combat Aircraft, designated as Unit-13, Aska was forced pull him by the hand, and other times carry him by piggyback. It this kind of situation that she saw as humiliating and beneath her. In her mind; she was left watching over some mindless drone that was a creepy exact clone of Shinji's disappeared younger cousin, and the boy himself accused of sending the entire world in to apocalyptic war. But this was the catch, in her mind, the boy was acting like a child, sometimes quietly sniffling or sobbing at losing his copilot in the ensuing battle Kaworu Nagisa, and bringing about what he beloved was the near-end of the world. His copilot was the only person Shinji truly saw as a friend when he was recovered from stasis.

Eventually all three of them arrived at a shoreline where they would be picked up by the IAV Miracle, the submarine and ground affect vehicle commanded by Colonel Misato Katsuragi. The ocean they stood at was as red as the sand, stretching out for miles until a faint blue line could be seen, the real blue ocean, unadulterated. The sun was beginning to set at this point as the horizon became a bright peach orange, flanking the setting sun, as it faded in to a light blue, then a dark blue, with the faint white-dotted stars slowly becoming visible. The sight itself was beautiful and peaceful, but that was not what was going on in Shinji Ikari's mind.

He sat back against a rock, unmoving, the life drained from his now dull blue irises. He was retreating in to himself, reliving every gore-filled, emotionally painful, mentally taxing memory over the past 20 years of his life in a trance, traumatized from the loss of his friend and the ensuing result. He relived the moments of his life of his father, Gendo's coldness towards himself, his mother Yui, and cousin Rei. He relived the on edege, and sometimes horror filled moments where his father and confederate Keel Lorenz would use his friends as expendable test subjects for new technologies without their consent or say. Some of those experiments led to the deaths or severe injuries of some of his closest friends. He relived the moments where he became a commander, one who led ruthless campaigns against NERV. He saw himself in third person shooting those who surrendered or begged for their lives, he saw the dropping of weapons of mass destruction on cities of NERV's ownership, innocent civilians killed in a rising dome of fire. He continued to relive every atrocity he committed in the 10 years of the war he fought against NERV. He relived the coldness he faced from Misato and Aska after meeting them for the first time in 15 years. They saw him as some kind of monster with unnatural powers. Something to be caged like a wild animal that can't be domesticated. Suddenly his trance was broken was broken when a strong grip and a familiar berating voice started to fill his head.

Shikinami was grabbing Shinji by the skull, forcing his eyes towards her one good one.

"Listen to me you brat," the Captain berated, "all you've done ever since you were rescued was act like a baby. You do nothing but feel sorry for yourself and expect that I'm gonna pamper you and make you feel better. I don't care how or what you're feeling. My job is to get us back alive weather you like it or not so we can clean up the mess you started. You understand!?"

As she finished berating him, the Captain could see the fear and intimidation is his eyes as tears begun to slowly roll down. All she saw now was the face of a frightened boy, nothing else.

"Look, sitting on your ass and feeling sorry for you're self will do nothing." Shikinami calmly explained, releasing her grip on Shinji's, crouching down to his level, softening her voice. "You're going to have to answer for what you did, and you will have to take responsibility for what you did. For now though, help set up camp so we can make it through the night, understood?"

"U-understood Captian Shikinami." Shinji timidly replied.

With that he got up, and helped set up the tent with Aska while Rei's clone started the fire.

He may have been spared her wrath in this moment, he knew that it would be no different aboard the IAV Miracle. He would still be taken prisoner, have another DSS Chocker placed on his neck, locked alone in a cell, and face trial where he would be sentenced to death or live the rest of his life in prison, alone. At this point, he didn't care what his fate was. From what he saw evidence-wise, to the fact that everyone he considered family or friend hated him or was most likely dead, he had nothing to keep him moving forward.

**Epic of Evangelion **

The IAV Miracle anchored a kilometre off shore as several grey-coated LARC-V amphibious vehicles sped through the water before rolling on to the crimson red beach. In one of the vehicles was the black-clad WGS security guards flanking Colonel Katsuragi in her signature red naval jacket, cap, and visors.

The appearance made her look unapproachable, even to her own men, it showed her coldness well in this time of conflict. Standing beside her was an energetic Mari Makinami, waving at her co-pilot, bidding her an enthusiastic hello, though this was much ignored by Captain Shikinami herself.

Aska was standing at attention, tightly holding Shinji's hand, while the clone of Rei Ayanami stood attentively. Shinji himself had his head lowered, his bangs covering his eyes. Knowing his former teacher, personal mentor, and a surrogate mother now close by, he couldn't face her, he had no courage to. After what he believed he did to ruin her life, starting Third Impact, she had every right to hate him.

As Misato jumped off the amphibious vehicle and on to the red sand, flanked by her two guards, she approached Shinji, taking off her visors, now standing right in front of him.

"Good work Captain Shikinami." the Colonel turned to her. "Now that you're back, you're to immediately report to Dr. Akagi for examination due to being in the L-Barrier for a prolonged period of time."

"Yes Colonel Katsuragi." the young captain replied as she let go of Shinji, leaving him alone with the Colonel.

"Shinji Ikari, you've put many lives in danger because of you're actions, do you have anything to say for yourself?" the Colonel questioned.

"I'm sorry." the boy muttered as tears slowly rolled down his eyes. "I'm truly sorry... for everything."

Misato was taken aback by his response, she was conflicted. The closest person she once considered family after the passing of her father and mother were genuinely regretful. 15 years of war because of what she beloved as his unintentional doing however was just to much to come to terms with.

"Very well." she replied, regaining her composure. "We are placing you under arrest for mass manslaughter, environmental destruction, and incitement of war between rival powers. You will be held aboard the IAV Miracle until our arrive in New York City, in which you will be given over to the International Tribunal to be sentenced. Men, fit him with a DSS Chocker and escort him to Specialized Holding and Monitoring Cell 1. The same goes for the clone of Rei Ayanami, except put her in a separate cell and have her interrogated for information of NERV."

With that he, along with the Rei Ayanami clone, were fitted with new DSS Chokers and handcuffed by the guards. Both were then led away to a separate vehicle and sprinted away towards the IAV Miracle. Aska looked back as she saw Shinji and the clone being led away. She could honestly care less for the clone since all it did was live to follow orders, a pretty pitiful existence in her opinion. For Shinji however, she pitied him, she saw him as he was led away by the guards, silent, broken, and with no dignity in the end.

But in her mind, she knew that Shinji brought this fate upon himself, and he had to answer for it, and at least that's what many actually believed about him.

**Epic of Evangelion**

Shinji sat at the bottom of his cell's bed, wearing a jumpsuit just like those worn by the crew of WILLE, but this time it was orange, without the white vest, with "SHINJI IKARI - BM-03" printed in large black letters on the back. His cell was walled with white panels as he sat on a silver metallic floor. There was a stainless steel sink under a rectangular mirror with a toilet of the same material beside it, all three in the back-right corner of the cell. Shinji himself just listened to the music that played from his cassette player that he held in his hands between his thighs while his headphones were in his ears.

He sat there, just listening to the music that played, one song after another, but he had retreated in to himself yet again. Every voice telling him how they didn't want him since he emerged from stasis just a week earlier, or just how much of an immature child he was, or the images of the apocalyptic dessert he saw after arriving at NERV, it all replayed in his head over and over again. He didn't know how long he even sat like this, minutes seemed to pass like hours, he didn't even know what time of day it was. The only times he ever did move was to eat the food that was brought to him in his cell, to take care of his private business, or just to sleep whenever his body felt like it.

Nobody even spoke or visited him in his cell. He had some hope that Captain Shikinami would visit him, but he knew that it would probably never happen given what she said she thought of him when he was retrieved from stasis.

While a small part of him yearned to at least speak with someone he considered a friend, a good part of him figured this was what he deserved, to live in perpetual solitude, or eternally face the abyss in the afterlife, as punishment.

Very quickly, his hope began to shrink. His depression and self-loathing would ultimately consume his thinking, and with that decision, he beloved he had no life, no future ahead of him.

Epic of Evangelion

"Aside from the bare essential actions of the human body, he's barley moved in over a week!" Ritsuko stated watching the security and health monitors inside her medical office and lab aboard the IAV Miracle. "What's worse is that his mental vitals are starting to give out one by one, Colonel Katsuragi we need to intervene if we are going to bring him to New York City alive."

Misato was listening, but her main focus was the boy on the screen. It made her feel conflicted inside. He was once her best student, and a surrogate son to her, and now he was one of their sworn enemies, though not by choice, albeit an informed one. To what she knew, he brought hell to an already fragile world. He nearly brought about another apocalypse. But it still pained a part of her to see him like this, without dignity, without purpose, without anyone there for him, but his self-hatred and those of others.

"No..." Misato bluntly stated. "We'll make make the situation worse if we do that."

With that Misato left the room, but not before Ritsuko shot back.

"Colonel Katsuragi, we can't afford..."

"That's an order Lt. Col. Akagi!" Misato yelled before leaving the room.

**Epic of Evangelion**

Shinji felt incredibly weak. He had very little energy to move even a few feet. Bags were starting to form under his eyes, as his deep blue irises became lifeless, and his skin was flushed of colour. He started to eat less and less as his time in the cell moved on. His hands were at his sides as he sat against the front of his bed on the floor. He had no idea nor cared how long he was in the cell. To him, time in this area didn't seem relevant at all, that is until the fact he would be sentenced in New York City.

He slipped in and out of consciousness multiple times, either because he was tired or because he was malnourished. All his mind did now kept on reliving every horrid, emotionally crippling experience to happen to in the past 15 years.

His body was slowly starting to give out as the bones and joints were beginning to show under his skin. His heart began to beat harder and harder just to keep his blood flowing. He knew it would only be a short amount of time before his body gave out entirely, and his soul would move on from his body.


	2. TumblingDown

Misato was interrogating the clone of Shinji's cousin, now identified as "Rei Q" or "Tentative name: Rei Ayanami". Ritsuko on the other hand was monitoring her vitals on her silver laptop sitting at a desk built in to the side wall of the cell. All three of them were in a room similar to that of Shinji's, except the clone was restrained to a chair that was also used in a dental clinic by the wrists, ankles, and chest. Various probes were attached to her to determine her bodily responses to certain questions. The clone herself was wearing the same jumpsuit as Shinji as she sat restrained and reclined in the chair.

"What was your purpose for serving Gendo Ikari and NERV?" Misato asked.

"My purpose was to function as a pilot for Mech-Fighter Unit-09 for the Commander, obeying orders and functioning as a commanding officer for the Command Operations Division." the clone replied.

"What do you mean by Command Operations Division?" the Colonel asked.

"It is an elite unit within NERV, only under the direct control of Commander Ikari and Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki." Rei Q answered." We are responsible for the direct implementation of the Human Instrumentality Project. We were programmed to only follow the orders of Commander Ikari and Chairman Lorenz. Our objective is to finish what we started 15 years ago."

Misato and Ritsuko were both puzzled and surprised by her last sentence. The Colonel then leaned in towards Rei Q, staring deep in to her eyes.

"What do you mean 'to finish what you started 15 years ago'?"

"Commander Ikari ordered a clone of Pilot Nagisa and myself to descend in to Terminal Dogma with our Mechanized Combat Aircraft to re-activate the Super Computer MAGI System and merge it with the thought patterns contain within Unit-6." The young pilot explained.

"And what was so special about Unit-06?" Misato questioned.

"Unit-06 contained a thought program in its brain known as the Tree of Life. The MAGI itself was installed with a program known as the Fruit of Life. We were tasked with dismantling Unit-06 in order to extract the program and install it in to the MAGI. Upon installation, the MAGI would the ecological event known as Third Impact, the first phase of the Human Instrumentality Project."

"That makes no sense, I saw the event my own eyes." Misato shot back at Rei Q. "Unit-01 and its pilot destroyed the surrounding area with unnatural powers they gained and in the aftermath."

"While Pilot Ikari certainly caused damage after the individual I was derived from was wounded, he only succeeded in destroying the GeoFront and the surrounding Third City of Tokyo." the young girl explained. "The city itself was mostly evacuated due to the ensuing battle. The commander had anticipated this would happen and used the following event to test if Unit-01, which contained both the Tree of Life and Fruit of Life programs, would enter 'Scorched-Earth Attack Mode'. If his theory was successful, he would duplicate the process on a much larger scale by having Unit-06 insert it in to the MAGI and initiate a proper Third Impact. We then released an official report saying that this was the side effect of Unit-01's pilot engaging Scorched-Earth Attack Mode. After that, the original plan was to have him placed in stasis in an unidentified area for later use, however Pilot Ikari disappeared shortly after."

"Within a few months of the Directly Supervised Private Organization's disbanding and our fleeing from United Nations Forces, we suddenly found ourselves coming under attack from unknown persons who utilized Powered Armour Units and called themselves the Transnational Security Office." The former pilot continued. "For the next ten years they destroyed every facility they could find that maintained a relationship to NERV in some form. They killed any personnel who were loyal to Commander Ikari and SEELE without question, regardless if they surrendered or not. Their bodies were crucified above the ruins where the battle occurred as a threat to any who were allied with Commander Ikari, SEELE, or anyone like them in the future'."

"And what evidence do you have to support these claims?" Misato asked.

"Commander Ikari has his plan written and documented in extensive detail. The part that involves Pilot Ikari is in a particular file known as Operation: Yesod." Rei Q explained. "As the commanding officer of the unit responsible for the direct implementation of the Human Instrumentality Project, I was mentally programmed with all the information relating to Commander Ikari's plans and how they are to be carried out."

"But why are you telling us all this?" The Colonel asked.

"I'm no longer under the control of Commander Ikari anymore. I have felt something reaching out to me. It feels very familiar for some reason, like that of a family connection. So I wish to why I'm being reached out to."

"Thank you, Dr. Akagi and myself will return shortly." Misato told the clone.

With that Misato turned to Ritsuko and gently nodded towards her. With that both women got up and left the room, with the cell door sliding behind them.

"If what she said was indeed true, then it would mean we've been fooled all this time. We would've played right in to Commander Ikari's plans." Ritsuko remarked.

"But then again, what if she is still under his control whether she knows it or not?" Misato stated. "We can't take the risk."

"About that." Ritsuko replied. "I carefully looked over her mental, nervous, and circulatory vitals while you interrogated her, and I what I saw was that there was no jump or change in her vitals. Moreover from what I saw, she her mental waves were equivalent to those who expressed a deep sadness. I think..."

Eventually Ritsuko was cut off by the arrival of Lt. Maya Ibuki.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Colonel Katsuragi, Lieutenant Colonel Akagi, the dissecting of Synthetic Mechanized Combat Aircraft Unit-01 is complete and we've extracted the Vehicle Data Recorder as you've ordered." Lt. Ibuki announced. "However there's something I think you should see from the recording."

"And why is that Lieutenant Ibuki?" The Colonel questioned, losing her patience.

"We found that the records recovered from Unit-1's data recorder don't match the investigation report that was provided to the United Nations by NERV before it's disbanding or the report released by the International Evangelion Project Agency." Lt. Ibuki replied.

"Have the records forwarded to my ready room, I'll view them there."

"Yes ma'am."

**Epic of Evangelion **

Misato and Ritsuko were in the Captain's ready room aboard the IAV Miracle. It was located just below the bridge of the ship and it had pretty much the same design as every other room on-board. White panels from roof to floor made up the walls, with a metallic floor, while a white light (dimmed this time) shone over them. A desk in the same make as the walls, built in to the floor stood in the middle of the office. Built in to the desk itself was a number of laptops and monitors along with a red and white phone for essential contact.

Both Misato and Ritsuko sat behind the desk watching the recordings on three separate monitors. The monitor on the furthest right showed Shinji's cardiovascular rates and mental waves, the furthest left monitor showed the outside with Unit-01. The screen showed Unit-01 hovering in the night sky above Tokyo-3.

The mech itself had a bright crimson red that replaced it's normal neon green accents. Clouds begun to swirl around it as lighting from the clouds begun hitting it multiple times at once. By this point they were 1.5 minutes in to the recording. Eventually Ritsuko switched the forward view on the left monitor to further out. Suddenly a shockwave originated from Unit-01 as it decimated all of Tokyo-3 and the surrounding area. After that, debris of broken skyscrapers, roads, and chunks of land slowly started to circle around the origin point of the shock wave. Then the vortex swirling above Unit-01 begun to steadily expand outward as high-speed winds begun to rip the surrounding area apart.

On the middle monitor, the cockpit was engulfed in a bright oceanic blue. Shinji was crawling out of his seat as he was reaching his right arm in to what seemed to be a pool of water. Suddenly, he pulled out a naked girl with white glowing skin. It was soon made out by Ritsuko and Misato that the girl in question was Rei. As Rei was pulled out, Shinji pulled the girl in to his embrace. What followed was probably the most emotional moment of the entire recording.

"Thank you Rei," Shinji thanked her. "...for trying to bring me and my dad together."

"I'm sorry I couldn't." Rei replied, sad and regretful of her failure. "I wanted you to be happy."

"It doesn't matter." Shinji stated as he closed in and hugged Rei even tighter. "This is all I need."

Suddenly, the blue stream of light surrounding Shinji and Rei quickly dissipated as the cockpit went back to it's normal colour. They suddenly saw Shinji letting out a short but loud shriek, before collapsing unconscious back in to the cockpit chair. Suddenly the recording cut out. Shinji's vitals at the same time went flat as well. Both women realizing that that was the end of the feed, decided to shut all off the recordings entirely until they saw that one of the monitors was still playing.

Except this time, it was not something they could remember during the day they witnessed Third Impact first hand. Unit-01's red glowing accents suddenly dissolved as its red eyes suddenly disappeared. The vehicle then begun to electrically spark all around as it started convulsing as if it were a person having seizures. The vortex of clouds circling above it suddenly disappeared as the mech started to fall towards the ground. At the same time, the debris circling around Unit-01 started to fall and smash the on the ground. All that was left was a clear night sky with a full moon above. By this point the ground looked nothing more then a wasteland charred in nuclear-powered firestorms. Much of the ground was now reduced to soot and ash as debris was haphazardly place everywhere, remains buildings standing lopsided, trees blown over.

Ritsuko was personally shocked at the revelation. But more at the fact that Shinji's vitals went flat near the end. It would mean he essentially died. But when he was retrieved by WILLE, his DNA was an exact match to the original, even his dental work.

"This isn't possible." Ritsuko thought to herself. "It's not scientifically possible for someone to come back to life. It could be that the Angelic Contamination revitalized his body and took control of it, but then we would know unless we're dealing with something completely different."

Ritsuko then turned to Misato to tell her about what she realized, only to see her commanding officer leaning forward in her chair, her bangs obscuring her eyes.

"All these years, we got him back, and I still treated him like the enemy... I wanted to blame him... I had to blame him... for everything these past 15 years. And deep down I knew something was wrong. We all got played... and it was because of me... all because I wanted revenge."

"Misato, nobody could've predicted this would happen." Ritsuko reassured her friend, putting her hand on Misato's shoulders. "All we can do now is move forward with our mission."

"But I should've known better Ritsuko. We all should've known better." Misato frantically shot back, before calming down. "I couldn't face losing everything again, and because of that... we were played by NERV for 15 years... and we didn't even know it until now. Now we have Shinji back... We can't go on like this Ritsuko, something needs to be done..."

Suddenly a beeping noise came from Misato's handheld transceiver in her coat pocket. She pulled it out only to find a secure line from Shinji's doctor on the IAV Miracle, Ft. Lt. Sakura Suzuhara show on the device's screen.

"What is it, First Lieutenant Suzuhara?" Misato asked, regaining her composure.

"It's Ikari, he's unconscious." the young medical officer panicked. "Severe bleeding from the nose and mouth. What's more his eyes are glowing red, almost like their flickering."

Misato and Ritsuko looked at each other shocked. The fact that Shinji's eyes were glowing red was evidence enough they had to intervene themselves.

"We're on our way." Misato replied over the transceiver as both women ran out of the room and towards Shinji's cell.

**Epic of Evangelion **

As both women arrived in Shinji's cell, they saw Sakura kneeling beside him, tightly holding on to his hand, begging him to stay with her. They then quickly turned their attention towards Shinji. What Sakura said was right, the boy's eyes were flickering a bright crimson red as streams of blood was pouring from his nostrils, forming a small puddle of blood below him.

"Suzuhara, what happened." Misato asked.

"I was coming by to take his vitals when I suddenly found him like this." The young girl explained. "When I arrived he was severely malnourished, his brain scans showed that his mental activity is extremely volatile, and his nervous system was causing him seizure."

"Very well. I'll take him to the Specialized Care Center on-board. Lieutenant Colonel Akagi, please wait for me on the bridge. First Lieutenant Suzuhara, I need you to accompany me and watch over Shinji." Misato ordered to both of them.

With that, Misato took Shinji in her arms as she carried him to the vessel's Specialized Care Center. Sakura soon followed behind, her arms filled with her unpacked medical equipment. Ritsuko stood at the side to let them pass before she made her way to the bridge.


	3. AfterAllTheseYears

As Shinji slowly lifted his eyelids, he found that he was no longer in his prison jumpsuit. Instead, he was in a light-blue cotton nightshirt and pants, in a medical restraint system on a hospital bed. The room itself looked familiar white panel walls to his front, back, and left, while daylight shone through the glass windows. Above him was a single dim white light on a particle board roof. At the same time, a number of ECG electrodes were stuck to his chest, arms, and legs while a nasogastric tube was intravenously feeding him through one of his nostrils and down his trachea. The only noise that was around was the steady beeping of the monitors showing his vitals while the rain pelted heavily against the glass windows.

"A familiar ceiling." he thought to himself. "I guess they probably wouldn't let me die after all. They want to see me punished. I couldn't blame them, I did start this all."

He laid in his bed, staring aimlessly at the light above him. He figured he may just be laying there, until the guards arrived, straight-jacketed him, and threw him in another cell until his trial. That was until the door to his hospital room slid open revealing Misato, this time without her signature red naval coat, cap, or visors. All she wore was a black turtleneck with black tights and black knee-high boots.

Shinji could see out the corner of his eye, but he was still too weak to move his body even a few inches. The tube stuck down his throat already made uncomfortable enough. Misato then pulled up a nearby chair and sat to his left. She then placed a hand on to Shinji's as he tensed, still afraid to face her over what he thought he did 15 years ago. Misato simply wavered it off as she proceeded to explain the situation.

"I know what you must be thinking Shinji, but you're in the United Nations Special Residency Institue," she explained. "We were ordered to bring you here by the International Security Committee after we alerted them of your condition. I'm sorry, but you'll be staying here indefinitely. It's for the best."

Shinji could sense there was an inherent sadness in her voice, one that was deep, but that she was also because she was hiding something as a result. He knew it was something that would change his fate. But then again, he was too weak to even speak or move. Whatever he had in his body and whatever happened on the IAV Miracle would keep him out of commission for a long time.

"Either way, it's necessary that you get as much rest as you can." Misato continued. "The staff will be taking to you're room in a few hours... To be honest with you Shinji, I wanted to see you, very likely for the very last time.

I haven't had a chance to speak with you ever since you returned. So much has changed in 15 years, and I still don't fully understand it all. Sometimes I just think we're cursed to fight in a hellish world forever."

"...I don't either Misato, but we were born into a world at constant war." Shinji stated. "But I've dreamed a dream, seen plans within plans. I know It sounds crazy, but hear me out. Every night since Third Impact, I felt I had visions in my sleep... of a bright future... where the world was a festival... a festival of the war's end, then an age of like that of evening calm came, and we all quietly settled down. I don't know if it really means anything, but it's still important. That's what kept me motivated to fight for the future."

When Misato heard that last sentence, however, she remembered what the clone of Rei Ayanami said during its interrogation with respect to another organization attacking NERV.

"So I guess you were the leader of the Triforce then, weren't you," Misato concluded.

Shinji was shocked that Misato managed to figure out what he kept as a closely guarded secret as he looked at her in surprise, shock, and horror.

"I never knew you were willing to go to such lengths." she continued.

Knowing the truth was now out, and with what he saw as no future ahead, he faced again towards the ceiling as he let out a heavy sigh.

"It was worse than that Misato," Shinji explained. "...But, it was a war in the shadows. I did what must be done to ensure NERV and SEELE were completely destroyed so that they could never re-emerge. I had to make an example of anyone who worked to rob humanity of the 'bright future'. We never took prisoners, and those who willingly surrendered to us, I would make their lives miserable beyond comparison."

"...And crucifying your opponents' corpses on crosses or leaving haphazardly built graveyards was part of it." Misato added.

"...Yes." Shinji reluctantly answered. "...But this is, what some would say, a holy war."

Misato was perplexed and somewhat horrified by Shinji's answer. Misato knew that she was fighting to undo the damage done by 15 years of world war, but for Shinji to liken what he did to a holy war... it sent shivers down her spine. It only served to show how desperate he wanted the world to be at peace, for himself and everyone he loved. In the 15 years, they've been apart, Misato was only now beginning to realize how much he held to the idea of "peace at any price".

"But now even that's a lie isn't it... all because I started Third Impact." Shinji continued.

Misato could see the despair in his eyes. He looked up towards the ceiling, avoiding eye contact as if he had no future. It made her feel more conflicted about keeping the truth about Third Impact a secret from Shinji, but in her mind, it was all for what she saw as the greater good.

But Misato saw something different in him. It wasn't just for the greater good, it was as if he had a mission that he was destined for, or was given a mission by God to wage a holy war on the "wicked". However, such a though only served to remind Misato of the kind of ruthlessness she saw in Gendo Ikari and SEELE at NERV.

"You need to rest Shinji," Misato said, changing the subject. "The staff will be escorting you to your quarters in a few hours. Goodbye Shinji."

With that Misato got out of the chair she pulled up beside Shinji's bed and walked towards the door. But not before Shinji cried out to Misato one last time.

"Misato... please!"

"Goodbye Shinji." she simply replied before leaving the room.

Shinji then let his head drop back into his pillow as he closed his eyes, now feeling overwhelmed by frustration, anger, confusion, and despair he only thought this to himself.

"When will this ever end?"

**Epic of Evangelion **

A pair of black-clad security personnel led Shinji down the hallway of what seemed to be an old and dilapidated apartment complex. The walls and roof were an off-white colour, with plaster peeling off, and cobwebs at the corners, like light bulbs, openly hung from the ceiling. The floor was a black, dirty carpet covered in crumbs, dust mites, and outside dirt. Mould from water stains could be seen on the roofs, as security cameras flanked the side of the hallways. On either side was a white household entrance door, with an extensive array of automated locks and knobs to keep intruders out, and residents in.

Eventually, they arrived at a door with a small golden plaque that read the following:

RESIDENCE: 012

REGISTRY: SJ-RI-AK00-01-02

RESIDENCY STATUS: SPECIAL OCCUPANCY

The content of the plaque perplexed Shinji, especially the meaning of the "REGISTRY". For some reason, it reminded him of his childhood friend Asuka Soryu, and his sister Rei Ayanami. He also felt that the registry wasn't put there by coincidence as there was probably a deeper meaning behind it. But he didn't bother to ask his security escort for fear of getting on their bad sides.

As one of the guards opened the door, he saw a relatively small residence with a room containing two separate beds at the back with a widescreen television on a wooden desk to the left of them. In the pathway between the beds and television, was the entrance to a small kitchen with the entrance at the back of the kitchen leading to the laundry and washroom. To the forward right of the beds was a dark wooden door that leads to another room. The walls of the residence were also off-white with dark wooden planks lining the top and bottom of the walls. The floor was also a black carpet but much cleaner and two dim beige-hued lights hung from the ceiling.

As Shinji entered his new home, he found it weird that there were two beds right in front of him. Either because the guards made a mistake or something entirely different that he didn't know about. Suddenly the door was shut behind him, leaving him to tepidly walk into the room. For some reason, he was told by the guards to take the separate bedroom, which he now realized was behind the door to the right of the beds he saw.

As he entered his bedroom he closed the door behind him, putting his black duffel bag down on the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed. Looking up at the ceiling as he let out a huge sigh and thought to himself.

"So this is how it is, huh. I guess that I don't mean much to Misato then do I."

With that, he got up and started to unpack his belongings from his bag. Having already gone through an emotionally exhausting day, he decided to take out the instant noodles that were stocked for him in the fridge for dinner. Making his way to the kitchen, he opened up the pantry and pulled out a plastic red bowl of instant noodles. He often preferred to make his own meals with real ingredients. The thought of processed food made did not go well with him. After all, he was known to be an excellent cook. After adding the water and spices in the sink, he put in the microwave and waited. Soon he sat crossed legged in front of the wooden desk as he silently ate his dinner, going over everything that happened the past few days and what it meant for him going forward. He felt a large number of things, confusion, anger, regret, loneliness, and it was too much for him to make sense.

**Epic of Evangelion **

After finishing his dinner and throwing out the plastic bowl, he soon took a bath, changed, brushed his teeth and went to bed. He tossed and turned all night as he kept having weird feelings about what Misato told him in his hospital room, or rather what he knew she didn't. Something was not right, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. It was mostly the reason he decided not to take his life a second time after starving himself aboard the IAV Miracle.

Having too much on his mind, he pulled off the blanket, put his slippers on, and left out the door of his apartment.

As he walked down the now dimly lit hallway of the apartment complex, he was still thinking about the feeling of uncertainty he was having, the secrets Misato kept from him. He soon walked down the stairs to the complex's courtyard. It was a small park surrounded on all sides by brick tenements, in the middle was a small hill, encircled by a gravel path. There were a small number of trees surrounding the small green hill. The night sky was clear with the stars shining above. The moon was full, as the naturally illuminated night light shone through the tree branches.

Shinji than proceeded to lay on the top of the small grass hill, staring up at the stars and moon. It was just like the time he spent with Kaworu during his short stay at NEU-NERV. They would look up at the stars every few nights while they spoke about their lives and how they felt about the new world they lived in after practicing the piano every now and then. It was the only time they really had to spend with each other, in the years he worked with him as a founder of the Brotherhood of the Sacred Bull. When Shinji emerged from stasis, Kaworu seemed to be the only friend he had left in this world. But during their attempt to "fix" the world, Kaworu died at the hands of an explosive chocker that was meant for Shinji. From there, everything went downhill, his closest friends and family were missing, dead, or most likely hated him when he thought about it.

But at the same time, as he looked up at the pulsating white specks that dotted the black sky, the oddly felt at peace at the same time. Soon enough, he forgot his worries and problems as he continued looking into the night sky. He laid on the ground for what seemed to be half-an-hour as he zoned out. For the first time in a few days, a small smile came to his face.

Suddenly, he was broken out of his relaxing trance when he heard a distant pair of footsteps, making the sound of distant crunching as they both walked along the gravel. Fearing that it was security guards enforcing some kind of a curfew, and not wanting to cause a problem by running to his residence, he climbed up one of the trees, hoping to hide in the branches until the noise passed. Soon he was high in one of the trees, holding tightly on to the trunk while his feet were balancing on the branch. As he heard the noises coming closer he could make out distant chatter of two familiar voices.

"That's the problem, you're too passive." one voice stated. "You gotta learn to be aggressive and demand what you're promised."

"I don't think that's the problem." the other voice replied somewhat timidly. "They said the area would be closing soon and that there would be no point getting anything."

"Well they were still open for a few minutes, we could've at least gotten something. Right?"

"I guess so, but I'm tired, I prefer to rest."

"Fair enough, I'm pretty tired too."

Feeling the voices to be too familiar, he got down and slowly straddled towards the end of the branch to better make out the source of the voice.

"Anyway, weren't we supposed to be getting a new roommate today?"

"Well, from what I heard, yes."

"Funny they haven't arrived yet."

"Well I was just told that they were recovering from an illness, so we wouldn't be seeing them until tonight."

"Well, I guess we'll have to make do with whatever idiot they send us, even if they are a pervert."

As Shinji peeked through the branches he made out two figures eerily similar to Aska Shikinami from WILLE and Rei Q from NEU-NERV. Looking closer, he felt he was hallucinating or imagining things. As he kept looking, he suddenly heard a sharp snap just before falling from the tree. He felt himself being rapidly pulled him down as he hit the side of the small grass hill in a sharp, loud thud. As he slowly regained some of his senses he could see to feminine figures standing in front of him, though it was difficult to make out who they were due to the disoriented and somewhat blurred vision. Suddenly he found himself being pulled into a tight, almost suffocating embrace by one of the figures.

"Idiot Shinji, where the hell has you been?!" one of them asked in a combination of anger and joy as he saw tears streaming from their eyes.

As his vision finally cleared he finally two girls he thought he would never see again. Asuka Langley Soryu, the one tightly hugging him, and Rei Ayanami crouching down beside her. He couldn't believe his eyes, both people he thought he would never see again we're right in front of him. Overcome with disbelief and shock he fell unconscious against the tree trunk.

**Epic of Evangelion **

As Shinji opened his eyes, he found himself laying on his bed, blanket up to his chest. As he remembered what happened in the courtyard, and now finally finding himself in his bedroom, he frantically sat up as he saw Asuka sitting at his bedside.

"Took you long enough to get up," she said. "You really gave us a scare back there."

"I-is that really you Asuka?" The boy asked tepidly.

"Ugh, what do you I am, a figment of your stupid imagination... Nevermind, it's good to have you back Shinji, we've missed you."

Asuka then leaned in and hugged Shinji for what seemed to be a minute. Suddenly Rei, wearing a light-brown apron over her pyjamas, came through the door with a tray containing a bowl of rice porridge with a mug of jasmine tea.

"I hope you're feeling better Ikari?" Rei politely asked. "I made you some porridge and tea in case you still weren't feeling well."

"Thank you Rei... thank you." Shinji replied as he looked down at the porridge and tea, clenching his open hand into a fist, feeling like he had to tell them the "truth".

"...But really, I don't deserve your kindness." Shinji stated with partial regret in his voice. "All I've done was ruin your lives because I caused..."

"Third Impact?" Asuka chimed in.

"You know!" Shinji replied.

"Know?!..." she continued. "We know that the United Nations stating that you did it was false and that now they know it too, thanks to that clone of Rei of course... Wait don't you remember, that incident destroyed everything in the surrounding area, I recovered you and Rei from the cockpit, it was a clear night, full moon?!"

"I'm sorry Asuka, I don't." Shinji apologized as he shook his head, unable to recall the events Asuka described.

"Well, either way, they did a pretty damn good job of keeping the truth from you."

Suddenly Shinji started having the same feeling he had when Misato spoke to him in his hospital room, the same he had when he was told he was guilty of causing Third Impact. Suddenly, a wave of visions flashed through his mind as he saw Asuka opening the hatch of his mech as she recovered both him and Rei. He remembered walking through the ruins he created in Tokyo-3 and the surrounding area due to Awakening Unit-01. And all this under a clear night sky with a full moon.

"I knew it, Misato was lying to me," Shinji stated, horrified and grief-stricken at the realization.

"It's not just you Ikari," Rei chimed in. "...both Soryu and myself were incarcerated for falsely aiding you in the initiation of Third Impact."

"Then why didn't I see either of you on the IAV Miracle?" Shinji asked.

"Because I was taken into custody aboard the IAV Justice while Rei was taken by the IAV Discovery," Asuka explained. "From the crap, they told me and Rei at least, it was 'too dangerous to have all of us together aboard one ship'. They retrieved us as part of what they called Operation US. But Misato didn't tell you that didn't she?"

"No, Misato didn't," Shinji replied, his anger being held back but still being made apparent. "To be honest with you Asuka, I don't see why we should continue to trust the Colonel, not after how much she lied and kept secrets from us. I guess our lives really do mean nothing to her and WILLE, and what she wants. In the end, she's only in this for herself."

"Yeah," Asuka shot at Shinji. "...but what are we going to do dummy, we can't just sit on our asses and do nothing."

"Now that I know the truth, I intend to finish what we started 15 years ago," he replied.

"But what if Colonel Katsuragi finds out what we are doing?!" Rei frantically asked.

"Then let her question and investigate us, she doesn't have the power to stop what we are doing."

"Shinji's right Rei," Asuka added. "...no matter what she finds, she can't do anything about it. And besides, she leads the World Security Group, she gives the orders, it would only make sense she ordered the truth hidden from us as well so we would stay under her thumb."

"I agree with Soryu, but Colonel Katsuragi must have her reasons." Rei refuted.

"Yeah, that she will do anything to stop living in another hell for herself. Face it Rei, Misato has her own agenda, and it's not for the best. She's now about as bad as the Commander. Think about it Rei, the Commander and the Colonel basically used us, kept secrets from us, then they treated us all like prisoners without an explanation, and put shock collars around our necks like we were rabid animals. What does that tell you?" Asuka explained before continuing.

"Look Rei, I'm not saying you have to agree with what we might do, I just want you to know who are real enemies are ...Anyways I'm gonna turn in. Don't do anything stupid or perverted while I and Rei are sleeping Shinji, or I will not hesitate to beat you up as punishment."

"Yeah, yeah," Shinji replied, still tired of Asuka's threats.

As Asuka was about to head out of Shinji's bedroom door, Rei finally came up with her answer.

"No Soryu, I'll always be at your and Ikari's side no matter what happens."

"Thank you Rei," Shinji replied, grateful for Rei's answer. "That means a lot to both of us."

"Yeah, thanks Rei, really," Asuka added. "I guess we all know what needs to be done then."


	4. SoundtheClariontoBattld

"All public broadcasting on the Washington Treaty Organization - Staff Entertainment Channel has been momentarily suspended for an emergency announcement on the authorization of Article 70, Section 9 of the Free World Security Charter, we apologize for any inconvenience, thank you."

"We have been in conflict for years, and many do not see nor have hope for an end in sight to this conflict. To those who have sought to impose their will on humanity and it's future, then you shall be repaid with wrathful justice 100 than 1000 times over in a lake fire. To all who seek only to live in a world at peace with the ones they love to share such, they shall be repaid with such 100 than 1000 times over. All shall be judged and rewarded according to their works, that is what this mission is. To all who hear this transmission, to all who are our friend or foe, we have returned from the shadows intact."

Misato watched from the various monitors on her desk replayed the announcement. Ritsuko was standing to her right, while Asuka and Mari, both in their WILLE-issued red and pink jumpsuits with specialized white vests, were standing to her left. All of them were somewhat in disbelief but even greater confusion as they heard the words uttered from the broadcast.

"I didn't think something like this would occur," Misato stated bluntly. "A declaration of war by the Jerusalem Treaty Organization, but who the hell are they declaring war against?"

"Colonel Katsuragi, with all due respect," Ritsuko chimed in. "I have reason to believe this is a doing. Just 3 days before this broadcast, our electronic intelligence branch picked-up a short but large and concentrated spike in electromagnetic signals from various locations, all near exactly the same time, with the source being traced to where this broadcast is being aired. I would recommend that we send a team to investigate."

"No." Misato sharply replied. "I intend to take a leave of absence and investigate myself. I already know who might be behind this."

**Epic of Evangelion **

As the sun rose what upon what would be a clear sky in the Desert of Judaea, a land of winding canyons, rocky plateaus, and arid shrub-dotted dunes, the echo of ram's horn could be heard in the distance. At the center of the noise, was a silver-grey metallic-walled settlement in the shrub-dotted plains of the desert. It was heavily reminiscent of the Old City of Jerusalem, but the biggest differences were that the buildings were metallic and/or concrete, bearing resemblance to those of warehouses, storage depots, loading facilities, hangars, and processing plants. In the middle was a structure similar to that of Solomon's Second Temple. The only difference was that it was made of grey stone bricks and was built in the style of stripped classicism. The building itself sat atop a mound of concrete bricks with a flight of stairs coming down each of the four sides. Behind the building was a massive public square. The ram's horn was ceremonially blown seven times by the guards standing in the watchtowers every day when the sun rose upon the horizon. Serving as both a wake-up call to operatives, and to serve as a reminder of the "crusade" that they dedicate themselves to complete.

As the ram's horns sounded across the settlement, TRIFORCE operatives and staff wearing their combat equipment and uniforms gathered in the front of the building, standing at attention beneath a balcony beneath the central building. Suddenly three figures stepped on to the balcony, one wearing an olive jumpsuit under a fern-green tactical vest. The person's black and silver-streaked hair reached down to their waist, and their eyes were covered by a visor that wrapped all the way around his head resembling postoperative sunglasses. Such a sight did well to hide the individual's identity, portraying them as a ruthless and mysterious individual, one who was part man and machine, but their identity didn't matter at this point. Flanking the individual were two others wearing skin-tight olive jumpsuits with a similar fern-green tactical vest. At the collar of each of the vests was an inverted dark-blue triangular gem encased in a metallic silver frame. Suddenly the lead person on the balcony yelled war chants to the rest below.

"FOR OF THE WICKED DESPOTS' THEIR IMMORAL BLOOD FLOWS?!"

"THAN WE SHALL SHED IT SO THE FORESTS GROWS!" the crowd below the staff replied below, their voices filled violent zeal and passion.

"FOR IF THEIR CONQUEST IS FOR THEIR UNRIGHTEOUS NAME?!"

"THAN WE SHALL REPAY THEM IN RIGHTEOUS FLAME!"

"EITHER DESTINY IN DEATH?!"

"OR LIFE IN LIBERTY?!"

The chants and screaming went on from what seemed to be a full minute. The sheer vitriol, passion, and unbridled aggression of those who screamed and chanted would intimidate any weak-willed or gentle person. Immediately afterward everyone again stood at attention as an anthem of some kind played over the loudspeakers within the settlement. As the song played, the individual unexpectedly received a notice from one of the individuals flanking him.

"A few people were found on the edge of the Exterior Security Restriction Zone," they explained. "I think it's best I Investigate."

"No, assemble the Central Operations Group, order them to raise Area Security Threat to Level 3, bring the External Security System online, and secure all entry and access points," the visored individual replied. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

Epic of Evangelion

Misato Katsuragi, now in a black tank top tucked into a matching pair of combat trousers held up by a black belt, and in turn, tucked in black combat boots was sitting around a campfire with Aska, Mari, and Ritsuko. Except for Ritsuko, all three of them wore the same outfit, the only exception was that the pilots wore green-camouflaged combat trousers with dark-red and fern-green respectively. Ritsuko was wearing leather tights, with high-heeled black combat boots, and her signature sleeveless black turtleneck for this day in age. All four of them would look like badasses from some American action movies, but in this world, the situation was far from glamorous. They were all eating from trays of nutrient paste they packed during their investigation in the wilderness. Except for the clearing they were in, the tall narrow trees, thickly grown, unkempt grass, and rocky features of the surrounding hillside surrounded them. Outside their occasional planning, casual conversations, and crackling of the fire, the silence of the surroundings did well to unnerve them and keep them on edge. It's just those senses would come in too late.

"Colonel Katsuragi," Aska stated bluntly. "I really don't think the brat's capable of crap like this."

"That's just an assumption Captian Shikinami." the Colonel reminded, somewhat tired and annoyed from the long day of travelling by foot. "...And even if the rumour is false, I still have the feeling we're going to get the answers we want."

"But Colonel Katsuragi, even with over a week of travelling the Desert of Judea and mountains," Ritsuko explained. "I doubt we'll be able to locate the bae in time. It could be anywhere in the area."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Misato resolutely replied.

"So what's the deal with this rumour that the brat somehow leads the TRIFORCE," Aska chimed in. "...Cause no matter who I ask, people seem to act like guilty children or just lash out whenever the name's even mentioned."

"They have good reason Captain Shikinami," Misato explained to the young Captain. "TRIFORCE has been an organization that has been officially tasked with 'preventing the practice and proliferation of especially dangerous ideologies and/or individuals who are deemed a threat to international security'. To be honest, however, their real motives run deeper than what they say, what it is, it's hard to say. They're said to have wielded massive political and legal influence behind the scenes and operated without regard to international treaty or law, going undetected and unseen in almost every part of the world."

"So people are scared because they have to deal with an organization that has their own agenda? It's not like we dealt with something like that before, right Princess?" Mari snickered at Aska while she grunted back, irritated at her constantly playful but annoying behaviour towards her.

"That's not just it," Ritsuko responded. "According to intelligence, interviews, and eyewitness accounts, the ISO uses vehicles, equipment, and weaponry much more advanced than even what WILLE has. They are said to secretly engineer and carry out the capture or assignation of any individual without ever being noticed, and even if you do it would be too late. In fact, one could say they're activities are so covert and untraced, it could be something paranormal, supernatural even."

"So you're basically saying these people can kill or capture any person they want, and never be seen? Hilarious. Like I'd believe such a stupid myth." Shikinami sarcastically replied.

"I wouldn't underestimate them Captain Shikinami." the Colonel replied a hint of fear in her voice. "TRIFORCE is an organization that will do anything to win, and in many regards they operate with impunity, deciding who lives and dies, what is a threat, and what is not. Terror, ambiguity, secrecy, ruthlessness, repression, and paranoia are their core tenants for achieving their goals, and any form of mercy, cooperation, or reprieve is not in their vocabulary."

Suddenly an ominous noise that sounded like a foghorn echoed throughout the clear night sky. Everyone suddenly got up as they were put on edge. Misato held her hand close to her holstered handgun while Aska pulled out a dagger. The noise continued five or more extra times, continuing to put everyone on edge. Mari then pulled a handgun from her holster aiming it at the forest, while Ritsuko did the same.

"What the hell was that?!" Shikinami asked, on the edge because of the ominous noise.

"I don't know, but you three stay here, I'm going to investigate," Misato announced as she headed towards the forest. "I doubt we're the only ones here. Akagi, see if you can conduct any scans about the forest, Shikinami, Makinami, keep the camp safe until I return, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." all three replied.

With that Misato headed out into the forest, the darkness of the night quickly covering her. With that all three of them sat down, letting out a deep breath as they thought the noises finally stopped for now. Ritsuko than pulled out a small black kit from her backpack, opening it to reveal a small monitor attached to a keyboard, with an assortment of advanced equipment that was used for scanning the surrounding area. She then pulled out a divide that resembled a biometric scanner, connected by a wire to the keyboard. Suddenly a beeping sound came from the device.

"Captain Shikinami, Junior Officer Makinami..." Ritsuko was about to ask before her voice was abruptly cut off.

As the two officers stared her way, Ritsuko had disappeared. , Ritsuko was gone. Her scanning kit was also missing, almost as if no one was even sitting there.

**Epic of Evangelion **

Aska and Mari radioed Misato multiple times to inform her of the ominous turn of events, to absolutely no avail. The only reply they got was static. As they stared at each other, they realized they were already in serious trouble.

"Four-eyes, get your Powered Armour Unit then go and find Lt. Col. Akagi and meet me back here." the young Captain ordered. "I'll put mine on and go find Misato. We've gotta' haul ass and get out of here."

"Got it, princess," Mari replied with a thumbs-up.

Soon the two girls headed their separate ways off into the forest after donning and equipping their Special Operations Type Powered Armour Units, coated in the same blue colour of WILLE to signify their allegiance. As they walked through the forest, utilizing their systems' scanners to detect any human presence or activity of any kind, they both begun to feel increasingly uneasy. They had the feeling of somebody or something might be watching them. Both girls traversed the forest for what seemed to be close to an hour. With no luck, Aska radioed Mari to meet her back at the camp. The imposing height of the trees, the dead silence of the forest, the clear night sky, it did well to keep Shikinami on edge. Even for someone who put up an exterior as fearless as her own, she grew increasingly fearful of her surroundings. As she arrives at the area where everyone set up camp, what she saw scared her shitless, and she knew she had to find everyone and leave. The wood that was stacked forming the campfire was gone, their camping supplies and backpacks as well. All that was seen as a clearing in the middle of a silent forest.

"Pick up, Four Eyes, pick up. We're being stalked by an unknown entity." Shikianmi quietly demanded as she tried to radio her second-in-command, only being met with static.

Suddenly, a silent rustle could be heard from the bushes and trees behind Shikinami. The young Captain pulled out her handgun, aiming it at the source of the noise. She then pulled out a flashlight, shining a light in the same position to get a better visual. As she moved the light up higher, it shined on an individual wearing green-clad armour not dissimilar from her own but featuring a more muscular build, standing on one of the tree branches. She was startled as she quickly stepped back. As she slowly shined the light in the same area again, the figure was no longer there. The young Captain was starting to think she was losing her mind, but that was clearly not the case. Suddenly she saw the same figure out the corner of her eye, standing behind her. She quickly pulled her curved dual-bladed halberd, strapped to her back, aiming it at the figure as she got into a fighting stance.

"What the hell do you want with us you freak?!" The Captian angrily demanded, but to no avail.

Suddenly, a double-handled katana like a sword with a pulsating red blade morphed in the figure's right hand, while a curved dagger with another pulsating red blade morphed in the figure's left hand. Thinking the mysterious individual wanted a fight, Shikinami bolted forward, aiming her dual-blades halberd for the individual's chest. Without warning, the green-armoured individual blended backwards, dodging the strike. It soon maneuvered to Shikinami's backside, slashing its sword across Shikinami's back taking out her unit's propulsion system and causing sparks to sprinkle across the ground as electricity sparked from the crack. Angered at being bested so easily, Shikinami tried to strike the being's head, but not before it could block with it's pulsating red sword. As Shikinami tried to push one of her halberd's blades through the individual's skull, if they had one that is, she suddenly saw the armoured being pivot itself behind her as they slashed her right hip with their dagger. A trail of blood sprayed on to the ground as Shikinami clutched in pain, placing her left hand over the wound to slow the bleeding. Soon, the mysterious being grabbed them by the neck with just one hand, holding her off the ground, like a dangling piece of frozen meat. As the being prepared to deliver the finishing blow, the being was electrocuted, as it jolted and fell on to its arms and knees. Behind them stood Mari in a battered, dented, and blast stained unit, it's vibrant pink obscured from the wounds of its own battle, holding a specialized handgun loaded with EMP bullets.

"Four-Eyes, what the hell happened to you?!" Aska frantically asked.

"Oh nothing Princess," Mari casually explained. "...I just finished off dealing with another one of those armoured beings. I think they might be from NERV."

"I don't think so Four Eyes," Aska explained. "The one I faced just dogged my attacks than struck me before I could move, and I only know one other person who is capable of using a Powered Armour Unit like that. Then again I could be wrong and this is a new type of freak from NERV."

Without warning, however, the mysterious being quickly sprang back up on to their feet and charged with their dagger towards Shikinami, but not before she grabbed her dual-bladed halberd and swung across the individual's head. As the mask flew off, as a result, long black hair with silver streaks, going as low as the waist unfurled as the being slowly turned its face over to Shikinami and Makinami. The being slowly turned their head to reveal themself as Shinji Ikari, but his eyes' irises glowed a vibrant crimson as he gritted his serrated teeth, streams of blood trickling down the sides of his mouth. Aska and Mari looked both in shock and horror, they had never seen Shinji like this, a being resembling that of a bloodthirsty, feral, human. They didn't have long to take in the sight however as they saw Shinji's arm, sparkling with electric currents, knock them both out cold.


End file.
